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Katsuobushi (dried bonito) and kombu, the two pillars of dashi

INGREDIENT

Dashi, the invisible foundation

Kombu and katsuobushi — Japanese flavour begins where you cannot see it.

Katsuobushi (dried bonito) and kombu, the two pillars of dashi — Photo: サフィル / CC BY-SA 4.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Dashi is a stock that draws umami from ingredients such as kombu and katsuobushi. Many Japanese dishes — soups, simmered dishes, composed plates — rest on this liquid.

Kombu is dried kelp; katsuobushi is skipjack tuna that has been simmered, smoked and dried. Both keep well, and both are made slowly.

Each cook chooses ingredients, water, temperature and time differently. Within the single word 'dashi' lies each kitchen's way of thinking.

Further reading

Photo credits

  1. Katsuobushi (dried bonito) and kombu, the two pillars of dashi

    Photographer / creator

    サフィル

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    サフィル, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Displayed with colour adjustment

  2. Rishiri kombu (dried kelp) from Kafukahama, Rebun Island

    Rebun Island, Hokkaido

    Photographer / creator

    サフィル

    Source / licence

    Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

    サフィル, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Displayed with colour adjustment